by B. B. Reid
Trevor and his father were planning to lock Monroe away in their basement like a fucking dog and use her in ways she would never survive. Thinking about it had me wanting to bring that motherfucker to life so I could kill him myself. I almost didn’t believe the shit they were planning to do. Not until I did a quick inspection of their house while they were gone which showed me everything I needed to know. They had a mattress pushed in the corner and a chain mounted to the wall to imprison her. Trevor never had any intentions of delivering her to my father. His father wanted revenge against me for convincing his wife to leave his abusive ass. Turns out, his mother wanted to leave years ago but couldn’t escape. She’d been beaten and raped by both father and son for years.
I don’t know what made me help her. To be honest, I couldn’t stand Trevor. I never could. Maybe I did it to hurt him. His mother was able to leave with my assistance and never looked back, not even when he was murdered. I hadn’t heard a peep out of his father since he lost his job. He was still on my to-do list because no way was that sick fuck walking away. I wouldn’t even give him the option to waste himself away by drowning in booze. For Monroe, he will answer to the grim reaper.
I finally caught up to Monroe just before she disappeared in the gym. She must have sensed me because she whipped around and her eyes immediately landed on me.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, unknowingly pushing her breasts up. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”
I didn’t bother to respond as I walked up on her, grabbed her by her delectable throat, and backed her into the gym doors. “I realize you haven’t been owned by me for a while. Believe me, baby. I know it’s been a while—too fucking long, but this shit right here,” I bit her lip and looked deep into her eyes, “will get you into a lot of fucking trouble. Quit acting up.”
“What am I? Your two-year-old?”
“You sure as fuck are acting like it, but I don’t fuck children, so if you keep it up, you’ll never get back into my pants.”
She rolled her eyes. “Woe is me.”
“There’s that mouth again.”
“So what are you going to do ab—”
My lips slamming down on hers cut off the smart remark that would surely get her fucked right against these doors for all to see. There was no way I would let anyone see, though. The hounds were always lurking and ready to sniff around my girl. It was a full-time job beating them away for the last few years and making sure she was none the wiser. The need to possess was even worse now because I had her, and there was no one who fucked like Monroe. No one.
“I don’t hear you.” I kissed and bit down on her bottom lip. She still sported some of the bruising from Friday. I almost grinned when I thought of how she might have explained it to her dear aunt. “Let me hear you say something smart.”
“Something smart,” she whispered and met my eyes challengingly.
Such a fucking handful. Little bitch.
I flipped her around to face the wall and smacked her ass drawing out a shocked squeal from her. The button of her jeans flicked open with my fingers and I worked my leg in between hers, pushing her legs apart. “One might think you want me to fuck you… Is that it? Are you purposely trying to piss me off?”
“Keiran, we’re in a hallway in our school!”
“And yet you keep pushing your ass on my dick.” My hand slid down her pants and cupped her through her panties. Her heat was scorching. I could barely concentrate on what I had come to do. Generally, when I would seek her out for my fix, I would try to humiliate or scare her, but we were playing a different game now. One that affected me just as much as her. Go fucking figure.
“So you think I’m going to just let you fuck me right here?”
“I don’t think that’s an answer you really want. Besides, I can feel how wet you are. I wouldn’t need to persuade you.”
“My body’s betrayal doesn’t change the fact that I despise you.”
My finger slipped inside her panties and entered her heat causing her to lose her breath and grab the wall as an anchor for support. “You feel that?” I asked and added another finger. “The fact that you despise me doesn’t change the way your body betrays you. I could fuck you right here, and you would take it because you want it, and you would love it.”
“What makes you so sure I would love it?” The rhythm of my fingers increased their tempo, making her whimper and beg. Music to my ears.
“Tell me yes, and I will show you.”
“Not here.”
“Fuck.” I was already searching my head for places to drag her off too when we were interrupted.
“Mr. Masters, the bell has already sounded for class… What on Earth are you doing?”
“Oh, my God,” Monroe squeaked. She frantically ripped my hands away, and I cursed the loss of her body. I waited until she fixed her clothing before moving away.
“Miss Monroe,” Principal Lawrence acknowledged disapprovingly. “Don’t you have class?”
“Yes, um, sorry.” She shot me a murderous glare before disappearing inside the gym.
“As I recall, you were ordered not to approach Lake Monroe. Is there any particular reason why you are violating that agreement?”
“None of it concerns you.”
I walked off leaving her baffled. I was pissed that once again, Monroe managed to slip through my fingers.
Chapter Nine
Lake
“Can you believe that prick?” For most of gym, and after in the locker room, I ranted and raved over Keiran’s latest stunt. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to react when he approached me in the hallway. In the past, whenever we were in the same vicinity together, as briefly as it may last, I would try to make myself as invisible as possible. But when I saw the unmistakable heat in his eyes, I was frozen to the spot. All I could do was to hope I could survive another encounter unscathed. .
“It sounds to me like you were enjoying yourself just as much as he was.”
I turned on Willow and planted my fists on my hips. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on yours. I’ll always be on your side, but you have to decide whether you are going to hate him or fuck him. Apparently, the two don’t mix well together.”
Oh, how wrong she was. “This isn’t just some run of the mill romance or school rivalry. He threatened to kill my aunt and to leave my best friend,” I indicated her for emphasis, “heartbroken.”
“And yet, despite all that, you still want him. Look,” she took a deep breath and released. “I’ve gotten over it.”
“No, you just blame Dash. You’re still angry too, Willow.”
“Are we here to talk about you, or are we here to talk about me?” she snapped, defensively. That was my cue to bow out, but instead, I continued to stand with her, holding her stare. It seemed neither of us would back down until she sighed and asked, “Do you realize we almost never argued before them?”
There wasn’t a time I could remember ever arguing with Willow. The biggest disagreement we’d ever had was choosing a movie or pepperoni over sausage, and even then, we’d compromise. We’d spend all night at the movies to please each other and order a specialty pizza because neither of us was willing to see the other unhappy.
But I couldn’t deny how something had changed for us these past few months. I only hoped our friendship would survive it.
“Forget about it. Let’s just go to lunch and hope they have something half decent or edible.” We finished dressing in silence and met Sheldon outside of the cafeteria. I could immediately tell something was wrong from her sunken expression.
“Sheldon, are you okay?” I asked as I took in her wrinkled clothing and unkempt hair. She looked as if she’d rolled out of bed and gotten into a fight with a bull.
“I received a message from Keenan this morning.” She opened her mouth to say more, but it all seemed to disappear as she silently choked with tears. I placed a soothing hand on her back, which seemed to calm her.
“I’ve never heard him speak to me like that. He sounded so cold and distant.”
“What did he say?”
“Not much. He basically called me a cold, heartless bitch and let me know, in no uncertain terms, he hated my guts.”
So much like his brother. It was a wonder no one picked up on the similarities before.
“So I take it you still haven’t gone to see him?” Willow questioned. She wore a sympathetic expression, but I knew she didn’t approve. She believed just as much as I did that Sheldon should have gone to visit him once more if only to soften the blow. Likewise, I could understand how the emotional turmoil seeing him in his state combined with the broken heart he left her with could make her keep her distance.
“I know what you guys are thinking, but I don’t know if I can do this.” Her broken whimper pierced my heart, and I glared at Willow, who shrugged her apology. “My heart is crying out for him, but I know I can’t go back and now he—he…” She choked on her words again and began to cry. “He hates me,” she whispered.
“Sheldon, you can’t blame yourself for his mistakes, and it certainly isn’t your fault his family is screwed up.”
Namely Mitch.
“I know I didn’t do anything wrong. I just remember how much he hurt me over the years with his constant cheating and reckless behavior, and I remember all too vividly the pain. I never wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt me, and it just kills me knowing he’s all alone.”
“But he has his father,” Willow pointed out. “Surely, he would be here for him after everything.”
“His father is just as screwed up over his mother’s death as Keenan is. Can you imagine believing all your life the one person who is supposed to love you walked out on you just to find out later they’ve been dead this entire time?”
I knew Sheldon wasn’t directing her question at either of us in particular, but it nearly wrecked me just the same.
“Mom, how do I just tell her that her parents didn’t abandon her? They didn’t just die. They were murdered.”
Thankfully, Sheldon continued to speak, keeping me from falling further into the black abyss that was my parents.
“He told me once that he could never understand a mother’s ability to leave her own child. We were watching one of those television dramas on Lifetime, but I knew his mother was the reason he felt so strongly about it. It doesn’t help that his dad is barely in his life and hasn’t been for a long time.”
“Do you think he has abandonment issues?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Whatever his issues, I know it’s because of his parents.”
“Don’t you girls ever get tired of gossiping?” Buddy interrupted as he approached with his arm thrown around a blonde girl, who I was pretty sure was in my English class. I often caught her sending Keiran sultry looks, all of which he always ignored. “Doors are for walking through not blocking.”
“Buddy, you are the biggest gossip queen there is,” Willow scolded.
“Hey, hey, hey. I like to gossip just as much as the next man, but I’m no queen.”
I laughed when I took in his grave expression. He looked as if we seriously offended him, which only proved that Buddy really could be a drama queen.
“Come on guys, we should go to lunch.” I pushed open one of the doors letting Buddy and his latest lay in, followed by Willow, but when Sheldon continued to stand and stare off into the distance, I let the door close.
Even from her profile, I could see the darkening circles around her eyes and the weight she had lost.
Has she not been eating or sleeping?
Sheldon was never someone to skip a meal, so if that was the case, I knew this was more than a simple case of the high school breakup blues. I made a mental note to talk to Dash. If anyone could get through to her, it would be him. They were more than brother and sister. They were best friends.
“Sheldon?”
The sound of her name snapped her out of her trance, and when her eyes met mine, she seemed to look straight through me. My throat tightened painfully. I couldn’t stand to see her as a ghost of the girl she was. Five months ago, I never thought I would come to care so much for her or anyone else.
“I think I’m going to go.”
“Go? Go where, Sheldon? Please come inside. You need to eat.”
Her amber colored eyes hardened and pinned me to the spot. “Sometimes it’s not that easy. Eating won’t change the fact I left him alone to die.”
She was gone before I could take my foot out of my mouth.
* * *
Thank God for tests.
Tests weren’t what people made them to be. Tests were a means of escape.
At least it was supposed to be.
If I didn’t already, I definitely hated fifth period now. Every shift, shuffle, and cough in the silent room had me ready to bolt.
As a result of my recent adventures, I needed to ace every assignment for the rest of the year to avoid having to endure summer school in order to graduate. My attention should have been on graduation and the test in front of me, but professional development and the importance of social responsibility were the least of my concerns. Every hair on my body was raised and goose bumps traveled every inch of my too warm skin.
I had been stuck on question three for the last fifteen minutes with only sixty minutes to go, and while I should have known the answer, I couldn’t concentrate long enough to comprehend the question. An hour would have been more than enough time if my focus weren’t on the mercurial boy at the back of the class. At this rate, I would never finish in time.
Which of the following statements are true?
A. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility
B. Keiran is going to hurt you.
C. CSR applies to large and small businesses.
D. All of the above.
I circled the last and moved on, but instead of reading the question, I abruptly turned and sought out Keiran at the back of the class. I couldn’t take it anymore. The temptation was too great. My gaze zeroed in on his dark head bent in perfect concentration. I watched his large hand grip the thin yellow pencil as he scribbled his answers. The weight on my chest lifted, but my heart constricted now that I knew he wasn’t watching me.
As if sensing I was watching him, I was suddenly met with stormy gray eyes that shifted and changed as they assessed me. A sly smile slowly appeared, and I realized too late that his lips were moving.
“Mr. Lawson, could you explain this question to me?”
Keiran was fully grinning by the time I realized he’d led me into a trap. It was too late to pretend nothing had happened. I was caught.
“Miss Monroe. Eyes on your own test. I will not tolerate cheating,” Mr. Lawson scolded while making his way to the back of the classroom. Subtle snickers echoed around me, fueling my embarrassment.
I swiftly turned in my chair, swaying slightly and feeling my cheeks heat. I forced myself to work through the test I had spent all night studying for, and by the time the bell rang, I was putting the finishing touches on the last question. I hadn’t noticed Willow and Sheldon had left with the rest of the crowd, and when I finally looked up, Keiran was in front of my seat with his back turned to me.
“Piece of cake, Mr. Lawson.” I narrowed my eyes at his back. “Shame about those cheaters.” He turned suddenly and winked at me before leaving.
I was tempted to hurl my entire sack of books at his head when an idea occurred to me.
Cheaters, huh?
The day Trevor and Anya were announced dead, I made a vow to see Keiran in prison once and for all. Until I was able to make good on my promise, I could resort to petty revenge to hold me over.
I grabbed my test and backpack and practically jumped across the table to reach Mr. Lawson’s desk. He shot me a disapproving look as he took my test.
“You know, Ms. Monroe, I’m surprised by you.”
“What do you mean?” My face immediately fell and my plans for sabotage f
aded into the background.
“You were always considered a model student and well respected among the staff. Your potential to do well in the world has always been measured highly. However, over the last few weeks, it has severely plummeted.”
“I, I—”
“Senior year is hardly the time to lose focus, young lady, no matter the motivation.”
“But, sir, I—”
“There is no excuse. If kids like Keiran Masters can turn themselves around, there is no reason you can’t continue to uphold yourself in a way that is beneficial to your future.”
Keiran? Turn himself around? Did Mr. Lawson and everyone else forget he was the very person on trial for a double murder? I wanted to scream at the man and remind him I wasn’t the one who torched two people alive. I wasn’t the monster, but yet Keiran was still being viewed as the golden boy?
“Mr. Lawson, speaking of Keiran Masters, I overheard him mention his intention to use a cheat sheet for the test. I think, as a model student and a person who takes social responsibility seriously, I should let you know.” I managed to hide the bitterness I felt from his unwanted judgment with a sugary sweet tone matched with an expression that screamed concerned student. His words actually stung but only because they were true.
“What? Are your absolutely sure about this?” I ignored the suspicious look he cast me and nodded my confirmation. I wanted to break out into a hysterical fit and unleash on the world the same cruelty it wreaked on me.
“Thank you, Miss Monroe. I’ll look into it.” He bent his head to study the test papers in front of him, dismissively.
I took my cue and left. As far as I was concerned, my job was done.
